After much deliberation, you’ve decided you want to buy a teardrop trailer. You’ve done your research into the various manufacturers, and there’s one you keep coming back to, the Happier Camper. You poke around on trailer forums and groups and maybe ask a few friends of friends for their advice on this brand. Still, you’re not quite decided.
Would you be happy in a Happier Camper or not?
In this review, I seek to provide you with information that can guide your decision. By the time you’re done reading, you should have made up your mind about whether this teardrop trailer adequately suits your needs.
What Is Happier Camper?
Let’s begin with a bit of background. What is Happier Camper? Founded out of Atwater, Los Angeles, California by Derek M., Happier Camper prefers a more retro approach to the design of their teardrop trailers. They also strive to provide vehicles that don’t weigh too much and won’t cost you an arm and a leg.
Their trailers feature Happier Camper’s exclusive Adaptiv System. This modular system gives you the freedom to arrange your teardrop trailer your way. You can select from customizable countertop, storage, and sleeping areas to sort of make your own floorplan.
Each floorplan in the Adaptiv System includes modular cubes or components. You can adjust these day-to-day. For instance, if you wanted to have a meal with four or five people, you’d move the sleeping space around to make room for a kitchenette. Then, at night, when you have to sleep, you’d compress the kitchenette to create more sleeping space. That’s just one example of many.
The honeycomb fiberglass of the modular floors has a thickness of 1.5 inches, so you can be sure it will handle all these floorplan swaps with aplomb. In fact, you can adjust components sort of like a Lego, in that the floor has embedded grooves that keep your cubes where you put them. You’ll also find everything else you need attached to these floor panels, including a front drain, D-ring tie-downs that are frame-mounted, and table bases.
Then there’s the cubes themselves.
Happier Camper designed each cube in its Adaptiv System to weigh as little as possible. You connect them together by snapping them. You can also get locking hardware for extra security.
All doors, lids, countertops, tabletops, and other wooden surfaces are made from Happier Camper’s Lite-Ply wood. With durable qualities, Lite-Ply weighs less when compared to standard plywood, exactly 55 percent less.
The Adaptiv System includes the following components:
- Deluxe countertop serving bar
- Cube locking hardware and a side wall
- A full kitchen with a sink, stove, pull-out fridge, electric pump, and a cooler ice box cube
- Toilet cover
- Wooden top lid
- Countertop with flip-n-lock extending capabilities; it can stretch to 13 by 20 inches for more cooking space
- Patio table base and wooden countertop cube
- Tri-fold flat cushions measuring 20 x 60 inches as well as standard 20 x 20-inch cushions
- Floor panels
- Nesting table top and bench cube
Which Models Are Available?
The Happier Camper produces just one teardrop trailer: the HC1. It includes the Adaptiv modular system I described above. According to Happier Camper themselves, they designed the HC1 with “a lifetime of enthusiasm and years of careful design.” This results in a colorful, comfortable trailer you and your family could enjoy for years to come.
Features
The HC1 has a base built from fiberglass. It comes completely bonded for greater durability. The flip-up or jalousie vending windows offer a panoramic view you’ll adore. The windows are also quite sizable so you always have a great way of looking out to the gorgeous world outside.
The roof of the trailer features a contoured solar panel, giving you the option of using natural resources for electricity if you so desire. Then there’s the rear door hatch, which opens straight up so you can access the entirety of the vehicle’s interior. With some floorplans, you could even roll your motorcycle or other outdoor equipment right in there.
You also get electronic brakes for easy stopping, a ridged frame with an included torsion axle, and AGM batteries for plenty of power.
Outside, there’s a rooftop fan with air conditioning. This way, if you’re camping in the warmth of summer, you and your fellow passengers can sleep comfortably at night. You also get a porch light, indoor and outdoor storage, vintage marker lights, a heavy-duty swing jack, a mounted leveling jack, tires with moon caps, and LED marine lights. The door has a circular shutter window blind, a large port window, and custom hinging.
The other lighting and electric features include:
- An exterior AC power inlet that’s marine-grade
- Four DC-powered cigarette ports
- Two AC-powered wall plugs with two USB plugs
- A power converter with your deep-cycle battery
- LED front markers
- Rear side markers with a vintage flair
- Interior LED lighting that’s dimmable
The interior shell comes with:
- Recessed D-ring tiedowns, six total
- Recessed table leg mounts, five total
- Nested upper shelf storage in the interior shell and wall perimeter
- Stainless steel floor drain
- Doorstep embossing
- Side-door storage
- Panoramic windows
Then there’s the exterior shell, which boasts:
- Marine-grade accessories and parts throughout
- Precision components, locks, and hardware
Last but certainly not least, the chassis and frame features include:
- Utility lever
- Seven-pin wiring harness
- Spare tire in the undercarriage
- Aluminum wheels that are 13 inches each
- Independent torsion axle suspension
- Side and rear door hitch receiver that’s two inches
- Swivel-back tongue
- Tough tube frame
You get seven colors to select from for your HC1 Happier Camper teardrop trailer. These include Mojave Sage (white with forest green), Silverlake (white with silvery gray), Sequoia Orange (white with goldenrod), Topanga Turquoise (white with light blue), Bishop Red (white with maroon red), Pacific Blue (white with bright blue), and Mammoth White (all white).
Specs
You can fit up to five passengers in the HC1 teardrop. The vehicle has a dry weight of 1,100 pounds, making it super lightweight. That gives you the freedom to tow this trailer with plenty of vehicles, such as cars, SUVs, and pickup trucks. The HC1 has a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating or GVWR of 3,500 pounds. The tongue weighs 110 to 150 pounds.
The spacious rear hatch door measures 55 x 54 inches and the extra-wide entry door has a width of 25 inches. Each trailer tire is 13 inches. The entire vehicle has an interior height of six feet, one inch. The beds have a width of six feet, eight inches. Both LED rear lights measure seven inches.
You get 42 square feet of walkable floorspace throughout the entire vehicle. Inside the vehicle, the height is six feet, one inch and the width six feet, six inches. That width expands to six feet, 11 inches with the bed included.
The vehicle has an overall length of 13 inches, an exterior height of seven feet, four inches, and a shell length of 10 feet.
Floorplans
Happier Camper offers several layouts or floorplans to its customers. These include the following:
- The Mega Bed for up to five passengers
- The Dining with max kitchen prep room
- The Dining (Alt.) for a different take on the layout
- The Study if you need more room to stretch out and relax
- The Sleeper for more bed space
- The Naked, which has plenty of open areas to hold kayaks and other outdoor equipment
- The Premium, which includes a toilet, sink, and shower space
- The Classic, which is a standard layout and a favorite for a reason
- The Essential for all the basics you need
Which Add-Ons Can You Get?
If you by chance think your Happier Camper could use more amenities, you’ve got ‘em. The following add-ons should enhance your experience in your teardrop trailer:
- TV mount: The TV mount comes with a specialty AC power plug and a mounting bracket. If your TV measures 27 inches and weighs 13 pounds, then you can use it with this mount. You should set up the mount under your upper storage cabinets.
- Custom HC1 cover: There’s no need to shop for a cover for your HC1 when Happier Camper offers one as an add-on. The Sunbrella material used for the cover will keep your trailer safe from the elements year in and year out. You get rear hatch openings and zippers on the sides of the cover as well.
- Rear hatch curtain: You can hang this curtain over your open rear door hatch so you can get changed and shower privately. How handy!
- Back window upgrade: Your back window can now slide open with this upgrade. You also get a screen for enjoying the fresh breeze but no bugs.
- Wraparound exterior bar: For the coolest teardrop trailer ever, you could add a wraparound exterior bar to your HC1. Your friends will always want to hang out in your vehicle!
- Concession fold-up window: With a bigger concession window, you can either enjoy the view or pass out food to your friends and family faster. You could even turn your trailer into a food truck. There’s nothing stopping you.
- Luxury mattress topper: Sleep better with a mattress topper that’s three inches thick. Intended for queen-sized beds, the mattress topper can also act as a comfy back rest if you’re feeling achy. It has Velcro straps that connect the two pieces together. The mattress topper is also made from Sunbrella fabric.
- High-performance blanket: The technical materials that went into the making of this high-performance blanket mean it can handle rough and cold weather expertly well.
- Curbside exterior bar: If you’re fascinated with the idea of a trailer bar but want a smaller one, try this curbside exterior bar instead. It still wraps around your trailer, but it’s in two pieces instead of one. The fiberglass pieces separate so you can set them up your way.
- Front stabilizing jacks: If you have a hard time leveling your teardrop, you’ll certainly want these front stabilizing jacks. Your vehicle will move less.
- Suspension awning: The reflective fabric (that’s industrial-grade, by the way) that comprises this suspension awning has reflective properties as well. That means fewer UV rays from the sun get to you and your passengers. You’ll also notice a temperature differential of eight degrees cooler than the outdoor temperature. That makes this accessory perfect on humid summer days.
- Roadshower pressurized tank: This pressurized tank from Roadshower goes on your teardrop’s rear hitch. It allows you to enjoy high-pressure water heated by solar power.
- Clean wave inverter: A medical-grade inverter like this one runs on 600 watts. It provides extra power to your favorite electronics, like your phone, TV, tablet, and laptop.
- Contoured solar panel: The appeal and functionality of this contoured solar panel means you’ll never notice it. It can achieve up to 100 watts of free, renewable energy that preserves our earth.
- Rear door loading ramp: If you bring smaller vehicles or sporting equipment in your trailer, you’ll very much appreciate having a rear door loading ramp. You can even customize it for an ideal fit for storage purposes.
- Side–door or rear door footstep: For younger or shorter passengers, a footstep makes safe entry into the trailer much easier. You never knew you needed this add-on, but you certainly do.
How Much Do These Teardrop Trailers Cost?
The cost of the Happier Camper HC1 starts at $24,950. If you want any of the above add-ons, you will pay more for each.
How Can You Get a Happier Camper?
If you’re strongly considering buying a Happier Camper and you’re based in the United States, you can fill out an order form here or call 844-755-CAMP. On the form, you’ll need to include your whole name, email address, home address, and phone number.
You can have your HC1 trailer shipped to you even if you’re not anywhere near California. All teardrops come from Los Angeles, since that’s Happier Camper’s home base. Only those in the US can have HC1s shipped, though. You will have to pay for the shipping costs, which might be $500 on the lower end and up to $2,000.
Not in the US? No problem. Happier Camper has striven to expand to Canada, specifically the Amherstburg, Ontario area. There, they have a showroom. The company also wants to eventually sell its trailers in Japan, Australia, Europe, and the UK.
The Verdict
While the HC1 from Happier Camper is one of the more expensive teardrop trailers out there, you get a lot of value for the money. Remember that you can customize most layouts to your liking. You also get a ton of floorplans to select from depending on whether you prioritize kitchen space, bathroom space, sleeping areas, or bringing outdoor equipment with you.
The Happier Camper brand comes up again and again when it comes to the best teardrop trailers around. We think they’re a manufacturer very much worth considering as you begin your search for your new teardrop trailer.
Conclusion
Happier Camper produces the HC1 teardrop trailer, one of the better-known teardrops out there. This compact, lightweight vehicle comes in a rainbow of colors. One of the more interesting components of the HC1 is Happier Camper’s Adaptiv System. This lets you put together your trailer layout the way one might snap together Legos. Through attachable cubes, you can shift areas in the teardrop like the kitchenette or bedroom.
Although the HC1 has a higher cost than some other trailers, you get many features that make owning one worthwhile. The Adaptiv System is just one such feature. There are also many generous amenities available. If you want add-ons, Happier Camper offers a whole slew of them.
With shipping to the US and Canada, it’s easier than ever to get yourself a Happier Camper teardrop trailer.